Bird responses to riparian management of degraded lowland streams in southeastern Australia

摘要: We assessed the degree to which fencing, livestock exclusion, and replanting of riparian zones affected avian assemblages in massively cleared landscapes. Measurements were made at three creeks southern Murray–Darling Basin southeastern Australia, each had circa 1-km long treated sections paired “untreated” sections, where no planting, or stock exclusion was done. measured change vegetation characteristics abundances native birds for up 8 years after works completed. Prior data collection, we developed expected responses bird species based on anticipated time-courses structure. used hierarchical Bayesian models explore effects management actions, account within-site variation characteristics. There major changes structure (reductions bare ground increases shrubs tree recruitment) but generally small not as expected. are least four possible reasons limited responses: (1) there has been a long-term decline woodland across region; (2) study conducted during longest drought instrumental record (3) total amount replanted denuded (4) monitoring may have over too short term detect longer-term structural vegetation.